Roger Federer has been great for so long it has become easy to take him for granted, not that Andy Murray did that in a semi-final of sustained tension and no little brilliance at Wimbledon on Friday, but the Swiss must now hit a similar or higher peak to beat Novak Djokovic for the title on Sunday.

Federer, the game’s eternal darling, described his 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 win in two hours and seven minutes in front of a thrilled and marginally pro-Murray crowd as, “definitely one of the best matches I’ve played in my career”.

And, just as Murray left everything on court – rarely so gloriously as when winning the 15-minute 10th game of the second set to keep his hopes burning – there is no danger that Djokovic will give Federer anything but his fullest attention, after losing to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final last month when he had one eye on a calendar grand slam.

Murray played magnificently but struggled in the face of 20 aces, the nagging power and accuracy of his first serve and the consistent, big thump on his second. He resisted pressure later to informally canonise his conqueror afterwards but he did say: “That’s definitely the best he served against me.” Federer agreed: “Definitely it was one of the best serving days of my career.”

Federer’s greatness is not only delivered on his racket, though, or framed in mere statistics, but is forged in his heart and soul: he loves this game and winning so much that his insistence afterwards that revenge for losing in the final here last year to Djokovic was not his prime motivation rang a little hollow. He wants to beat him as badly as he has wanted anything in the game in recent years. Djokovic is his new Rafa Nadal.

“It’s great to play Novak anywhere these days,” he said, sounding vaguely nostalgic about some of their titanic battles. “Especially the last few years, he’s been unbelievably dominant.”

He added, not entirely convincingly: “I don’t really think about the match we played against each other last year. I just remember it was unbelievably thrilling. The crowd really got into it. I’m just happy to be back in a final. Whoever that’s going to be against, it’s always a big occasion. That it is Novak, the world No1, it obviously adds something extra.”

He added for the benefit of his audience of many millions: “I think the fans know why I’m playing. At the end of the day, I enjoy it. The game is bigger than any athletes we’ve ever had. It really is. I feel very much liked by many people around the world. It’s been amazing to have that support. It helps when you’ve been around the block for a long time. People sort of get to know you.”

Victory would give him a record eighth Wimbledon title and 18th major, at 33 – and with at least a couple of years to come. He plays for love, but he loves trophies too, and reaching for those records against the best player in the world after being written off in many quarters as incapable of winning at the highest level again will provide him with all the incentive he needs.

Murray, choosing to receive, did not get in front throughout the match but, after nearly breaking in the first game, he carried the fight to Federer all the way to the end of each set. The hub of the whole contest arrived in an astonishing struggle near the end of the second set. Murray saved five set points in 15 tortuous minutes of high-grade exchanges that left everyone breathless – followed by a swift and killing denouement by Federer to go two sets up.

“He played some unbelievable shots, great retrieving,” Federer said of Murray. “I had my chances. I didn’t get down on myself. It’s a perfect game, regardless if I win or I lose. Even though you could see it in another way, as well, it was a key game for him to stay on and break my good run. It would have changed things around completely.

But it did not. The extended moment mirrored the second game of the fourth set in the 2014 Australian Open quarter-final, when Murray survived a 20-minute test of his resolve, only for Federer to hold to love in the next game and go on to take the match. Here his march to the line in the third set – at 33 minutes the shortest of the three – also had the air of inevitability about it at the end, Murray sticking a final forehand wide.

But he left content – and that might not have been the case years ago. He has the look of a happy man – this was only his second defeat since marrying Kim Sears in April – and much to look forward to.

“I got broken right at the end all of the sets,” he pointed out. “But I didn’t actually play a bad match. At times I played some very good tennis.

He clearly deserved to win the match. He had more opportunities than me. If Roger serves in the final like he did today, he’ll give himself a great opportunity to win that match.

“I was trying to fight as hard as I could. I served pretty well under pressure in that game. I served well – the best I served in the tournament.” And, as he has said many times before, he relishes his time in this era, maybe the strongest in the history of the game. And he reckons Federer has some miles left on the clock.

“When he plays like that, he could play for a long time. You never know when the last time you’re going to play against him. It’s great that I get the opportunity to play against these guys.

“This year so far has been my most consistent by far. In comparison to last year, it’s night and day. I’m playing so much better than then. It’s still an extremely tough time to win these major events because the guys that are around are phenomenal tennis players. But I do enjoy it.” With that, he wiped his brow and retired to an ice bath.